It can feel impossible at times to navigate the sea of jargon that often accompanies discussion around modern businesses. Even if you are in business yourself, familiar quotes and terms can dominate much of the conversation, leaving you and potentially your team in the dark about where you stand.
Nowhere is this issue more prevalent than when it comes to new business technology. Technology develops so quickly in today's world that if you aren't swept up in the advances in one particular area, getting into that stream can be particularly difficult. Therefore, having a way to navigate the storm can help you get your brand back on track.
Deconstruct Acronyms
The biggest obstacle often in your way to understanding any given paragraph discussing relevant business terminology is the use of acronyms. SEO is a popular example of this, and while it is so well-known that you might immediately recognize it as meaning search engine optimization, that is knowledge that you acquired over time. A quick browser search is often all it takes to break down what an acronym stands for, but that doesn't immediately mean that you are presented with a working knowledge of what it means. If you are completely new to the phrase "search engine optimization", after all, you might be none the wiser about what that actually is or how it is an effective marketing technique for business.
Useful Guides and Breakdowns
On that note, your next step might be to find detailed breakdowns that can help you come to grips with what is being talked about. The difficulty here comes from the fact that not everything can be explained so easily – as it might rely on an understanding of other terms (or acronyms) in order to make sense. APIs are an example of this. API stands for application programming interface, but that information doesn't immediately tell you what they are or how they can be useful for your business – nor can a brief explanation give you the full scope of that knowledge. This means that identifying a guide discussing the various types of API available can not only help you gain a baseline understanding but it can give you an idea of the depth of the knowledge – which API would be right for your brand and why that is the case.
Physical Discussions, Talks, And Podcasts
However, sometimes official documentation – while informative – can't aptly break down that barrier of understanding. Instead of putting you in a position where you feel that sudden wave of "getting it", you just feel more inundated with information than you already were – perhaps with even more terms and tools added to the list of those that you don't understand.
If that is the case, then it might be worth looking into something more informal. A physical discussion with someone who does understand can be the best way to understand it for this reason, putting you in a situation where you can ask questions and go over the information until it makes sense to you. However, not everyone will be in a position where someone with the proper knowledge is so readily available. In that case, you might think about listening to podcasts or watching talks that can break it down (perhaps even with the help of visuals) into something that makes more sense to you. In the case of some explanations, it might not be that the information is conveyed in a way that is any less formal or official than the aforementioned guides, but having it verbally told to you might just help the information to make more sense to you at the time.
See It In Action
What might occur to you first of all could be to simply see the piece of technology in question in action. Unlike some of the previously mentioned examples, it is easy to get an idea of what a 3D printer is by just hearing the name alone. However, if you are in an industry that is likely to benefit from the implementation of one, such as manufacturing, you might be curious about how exactly it would be helpful. While you can listen to people talk about that topic or read statistics on why manufacturing businesses benefit from 3D printers, none of that might quite equate to first-hand knowledge in the same way that seeing one in action would. Once you see for yourself what these devices are capable of, you can begin to visualize how you would use one in the context of your own business – in the specific operations that are particular to your corporate structure.
You don't have to even acquire the technology in order to get started with this, you might instead prefer to simply watch a video about it – something that is easier than ever thanks to video platforms like YouTube.
Zoom Out
Sometimes, the best way to understand a particular example of technology and the impact that it can have on a business like yours is to zoom out and look at the context around it.
Much of the time, this is a process that requires you to look at the landscape as a whole, both before and after this technology was introduced. This can help you identify how its implementation helped businesses that took it on board and what that shift ultimately meant moving forward. This, of course, isn't always possible with currently relevant technologies due to the shift they cause being an ongoing development. For example, what is AI going to do to the gaming industry? It is something that many developers have already worked into their operations, but the way that this changes the games being produced isn't something that is clear yet – nor is it clear what impact it will ultimately have on employment or the landscape at large.
What you can do is go back to previous examples – guides, talks, and podcasts – and gather information based on what analysts predict. There is no way to identify a future certainty with complete confidence, but working based off what the majority opinion is might help you to choose a side.
